IF YOU FEEL A STRONG
EARTHQUAKE WHILE
NEAR THE COAST:
1. PROTECT yourself during the earthquake
1
2
DROP
COVER
3
HOLD ON
DROP! COVER! HOLD ON!
• If indoors, DROP under a sturdy table or
object, COVER your head and neck and
HOLD ON.
• If outdoors, move to a clear area if you can safely do so - away from trees, beach cliffs, signs and other hazards - and drop* to the ground.
* If you have mobility impairments that prevent you from getting up on your own, do not drop
to the ground but do cover your head and neck and hold on.
2. MOVE to High Ground
•
As soon as it is safe to
move, go to higher ground. DO NOT WAIT
for an official tsunami
warning.
• Avoid downed power lines and weakened overpasses.
• If you are outside of a tsunami hazard zone, stay where you are.
3. STAY There
•
Remain on high ground.
Waves from a tsunami
may arrive for eight
hours or longer.
• Return to the coast only when officials have announced that it is safe to do so.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT TSUNAMIS
How to
Survive
a Tsunami
• A tsunami is a series of waves or surges most commonly caused by an earthquake beneath the sea floor.
• An unusual lowering of ocean water, exposing the sea floor, is a warning of a tsunami or other large wave. This “draw back” means the water will surge back strongly.
• Beaches, lagoons, bays, estuaries, tidal flats and river mouths are the most dangerous places to be. It is rare for a tsunami to penetrate more than a mile inland.
• Tsunami waves are unlike normal coastal waves.
Tsunamis are more like a river in flood or a sloping mountain of water and filled with debris.
• Protect yourself during the earthquake
• Tsunamis cannot be surfed. They have no face for a surfboard to dig into and are usually filled with debris.
• Move to high ground or inland
as soon as you can
• Large tsunamis may reach heights of twenty to fifty feet along the coast and even higher in a few locales. The first tsunami surge is not the highest and the largest surge may occur hours after the first wave. It is not
possible to predict how many surges or how much time will elapse between waves be for a particular tsunami.
• Stay there
Prepared by:
• The entire California Coast is vulnerable to tsunamis. The Crescent City Harbor on California’s North Coast
suffered significant tsunami damage as recently as 2006. A dozen people were killed in California following the 1964 Alaska earthquake.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
About tsunamis: http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
Identifying natural hazards in your neighborhood
www.myhazards.calema.ca.gov
Preparing for earthquakes and tsunamis
www.earthquakecountry.org
The California Geological Survey www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs
Or contact your county Office of Emergency Services.
Prepared by: California Emergency Management
Agency Earthquake and Tsunami Program
3650 Schriever Avenue, Mather, CA 95655 (916) 845-8510
Concept and partial text from the Redwood
Tsunami Work Group.
Coast
This document was prepared under a grant from FEMA’s
Grant
Program
Directorate,
U.S.
Department
of
Homeland Security. Points of view or opinions expressed in this
document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of FEMA’s Grant Programs
Directorate or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
7_09
www.calema.ca.gov
TWO WAYS TO FIND OUT IF A
TSUNAMI MAY BE COMING
1. NATURAL WARNING
Strong ground shaking, a loud ocean roar, or the
water receding unusually far exposing the sea floor
are all nature’s warnings that a tsunami may be
coming. If you observe any of these warning signs,
immediately go to higher ground or inland. A tsunami
may arrive within minutes and may last for eight hours
or longer. Stay away from coastal areas until officials
announce that it is safe to return.
WHEN SHOULD I EVACUATE?
Evacuation should not be automatic. Before evacuating
you should determine if you are in a hazard zone and
consider possible hazards that may exist along your
evacuation route.
How you prepare will affect how you recover. And being
prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis prepares you for
all kinds of disasters.
• Know if you live, work, or play in a tsunami hazard zone.
• Learn what the recommended tsunami evacuation routes are in your city, county and region. Identify safety zone(s) near you, and decide on your primary and secondary evacuation routes.
• COUNT how long the earthquake lasts. If you feel more than 20 seconds of very strong ground shaking and are in a tsunami hazard zone, evacuate as soon as it is safe to do so.
• If you are on the beach or in a harbor and feel an earthquake—no matter how small—immediately move inland or to high ground.
• GO ON FOOT. Roads and bridges may be damaged.
• Avoid downed power lines.
• If evacuation is impossible, go to the third or higher floor of a sturdy building or climb a tree. This should only be used as a last resort.
2. OFFICIAL WARNING
You may hear that a Tsunami Warning has been
issued. Tsunami Warnings might come via radio,
television, telephone, text message, door-to-door
contact by emergency responders, NOAA weather
radios, or in some cases by outdoor sirens. Move
away from the beach and seek more information on
local radio or television stations. Follow the directions
of emergency personnel who may request you to
evacuate beaches and low-lying coastal areas. Use
your phone only for life-threatening emergencies.
PREPARE NOW
• If you hear that a tsunami warning has been issued but did not feel an earthquake, get more information. Listen to the radio, television or other information sources and follow the instructions of emergency personnel.
• If you are outside of a tsunami hazard zone, take no action. You are safer staying where you are.
• Know if you live, work, or play in a tsunami hazard zone.
• If you live or work in a tsunami hazard zone get a NOAA weather radio with the public alert feature for your home and office. It will alert you even if turned off.
• Assemble a small evacuation kit with essential documents, medications, a flashlight, a portable NOAA weather radio and batteries, water, snacks and warm clothes. Include a silver “space blanket” in your kit – it can be used to signal your location to air search teams. Keep your evacuation kit by the door so you can “grab & go”.
• Walk your route – consider what you would do at night or in stormy weather.
• Make a reunification plan with your loved ones.
Decide when and where you will meet if you are separated, and what out of state relative or friend you will call if it is not possible to meet at your pre-
designated reunification spot.
• Discuss plans with family, coworkers and neighbors.
• Make plans for how to address any functional needs or disabilities you might have. If you need help evacuating, prearrange assistance from neighbors including transport of mobility devices and durable medical equipment. If you are mobility impaired,
account for the extra time that you may need.
• Decide on the best strategy for protecting your pets.
• Prepare to be on your own for several days or longer.
• Consider joining your Community Emergency
Response Team (www.csc.ca.gov/cc/cert.asp)
WHERE SHOULD I GO?
Natural and official warnings are equally important.
Respond to whichever comes first.
All California coastal counties have tsunami hazard
guidance maps and are in the process of posting tsunami
hazard zone signs. These signs and maps will show you
what areas are safe and what areas may be at risk. Use
them to guide you to a safe area.
If no maps or signs are available, go to an area 100
feet above sea level or two miles inland, away from
the coast. If you cannot get this far, go as high as
possible. Every foot inland or upwards can make a
difference.